Trump saluted America in A #MAGA July 4 event, despite critics, What Do you Think About His Speech?

Trump salutes America in elaborate July 4 event, despite critics — and a downpour of rainDespite concerns that he would use the Fourth of July event as a glorified campaign rally, President Trump used his “Salute to America” speech Thursday evening to praise the men and women of the armed forces and American exceptionalism. With the Lincoln Memorial as a backdrop and flanked by camouflaged …See More Bradley fighting vehicles, Trump stuck mainly to the script during his speech – praising the spirit that “runs through the veins of every American patriot” and attempting to strike a more unifying and conciliatory tone than he is generally known to take.

While Trump’s speech set a unifying tone, the lead-up to the event was far from harmonious – with Trump’s opponents,especially 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, slamming him on everything from the cost of the event to the perceived exploitation of the holiday for a political purpose. Two outside groups, the National Parks Conservation Foundation and Democracy Forward, want the Interior Department’s internal watchdog to investigate what they say may be a “potentially unlawful decision to divert” national parks money to Trump’s “spectacle.”

White House seeking all options on citizenship question for 2020 censusPresident Trump on Thursday doubled down on his push for a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, promising that his administration is “working very hard” on the controversial issue — as reports say he is mulling using an executive order to get the question on the census. “So important for our Country that the very simple and basic ‘Are you a Citizen of the United States?’ question be allowed to be asked in the 2020 Census,” he tweeted. He added that the Commerce and Justice departments were “working very hard on this, even on the 4th of July!” Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced that his department was going ahead with the printing of the census without the citizenship question, apparently indicating that the administration had dropped the controversial issue. That decision came after a Supreme Court ruling last week that blocked the citizenship question for the time being until more reasoning from the administration was provided.

Ocasio-Cortez calls border officials liars after new report on offensive Facebook postsIn a Twitter message Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., branded the leadership of U.S. Customs and Border Protection as liars after a news site reported that CBP officials knew much longer than they claimed about a Facebook group on which some past and current CBP employees had posted offensive material. Ocasio-Cortez was the subject of some of this material. ProPublica, a self-described non-profit news group, reportedly has obtained screenshots of doctored images of Ocasio-Cortez, including one that shows a smiling PresidentTrump forcing her head toward his crotch.

According to Politico, top CBP officials had known about offensive posts “for up to three years” – even though officials claimed this week that they had only recently learned about them. “Looks like CBP lied,” Ocasio-Cortez charged Thursday, one day after the Politico story appeared. “Reporting shows they knew about it for *years.* This is a big deal.”

Ted Cruz schools Kaepernick, adds ‘context’ after ex-NFL star quotes Frederick Douglass ‘Fourth of July’ speechSen. Ted Cruz responded Thursday night after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernickposted a passage earlier on the Fourth of July from a famous speech by Civil War-era abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The passage Kaepernick cites is from Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass delivered to the speech at a meeting of the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, N.Y., on July 5, 1852 – nearly nine years before the Civil War began.

Kaepernick posted the following portion, without adding any comments: “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine…There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking andbloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.” “You quote a mighty and historic speech by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass,” Sen. Cruz writes in response, “but, without context, many modern readers will misunderstand.”

Closely watched June jobs report to be released FridayWall Street will be closely watching Friday’s release of the June jobs report, which could provide insight into whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its July meeting. As the U.S. enters the longest economic expansion on record, investors are looking at the Department of Labor’s monthly payroll and unemployment data for signs that the rapid job growth over the past two years is softening and lending way to an overall growth slowdown.

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.@AOC ain’t nothing but s Hounddog just crying/lying all the time.. do you think the news covers her way too much?

Ocasio-Cortez continues to compare border conditions to ‘concentration camps,’ critics accuse her of misinformation campaignU.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has sparked controversy in recent weeks with arguably increasingly inflammatory rhetoric in her conversations about the conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite coming under fire last month for …See More saying the U.S.government is “running concentration camps on our southern border,” Ocasio-Cortez once again made the same comparison on Twitter on Tuesday. On Monday, after traveling to a border detention center in El Paso, Texas, with almost a dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, she blasted border officials as “violent” and “inhumane” while claiming agents forced detained migrant women and children to drink toilet water.

Current and former immigration officials rejected the congresswoman’s allegations and accused her of pulling a political stunt. Hispanic pastors who toured the same facility Ocasio-Cortez visited said the conditions at the detention center were “drastically different” than what she described. They said they were “shocked at the misinformation of the crisis at the border.” The controversy over AOC’s latest comments come as afederal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration cannot categorically detain asylum seekers while they pursue their cases.

Navy SEAL rejoices in not guilty verdictNavy SEAL Edward Gallagher said he feels thankful and vindicatedafter a jury on Tuesday found him not guilty on almost all charges he was facing, including murder and attempted murder, in the 2017 killing of a teenage ISIS war prisoner in Iraq. “I’m happy and I’m thankful,” Gallagher told reporters after the verdict, as he joked with his legal team that “it’s Independence Day,” his freedom coming days before the Fourth of July. Jurors did find him guilty of the seventh charge, posing for a photo with a corpse, considered the least egregious of the crimes, which carries a maximum prison sentence of four months. Having already served seven months in confinement ahead of the trial, Gallagher, a Bronze Star recipient, is expected to go home a free man after his sentencing, his defense lawyers said.

Trump detractors sound the alarm as military vehicles roll in for July 4 celebrationsAppearing on “Deadline: White House,” MSNBC’s Joy Reid insisted on Tuesday that President Trump is using the upcoming Fourth of July “Salute to America” celebration as a “threat” to Americans who oppose him. Trump has longed talked about showing off America’s military capabilities in celebration of Independence Day, and now his vision is coming to fruition as tanks arrive in Washington, D.C., ahead of Thursday’s festivities. Reid claimed that Trump aspires to be a “mini” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera, these kind of complaints are the ramblings of Trump haters.

Still, as preparations were underway Trump’s July 4 celebration, a few problems emerged along the way as military vehicles were hauled into the capital city. On Tuesday, a flatbed carrying the tanks was apparently unable to clear an underpass, according to photos tweeted by a Politico reporter. A crane was later employed to resolve the issue. Retired U.S. Army Gen. Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, told the Daily Reporter that some local roads are ill-equipped to handle the weight of the tanks.

Missing Connecticut woman’s estranged husband maintains innocenceFotis Dulos, a Connecticut real-estate developer charged in connection with the disappearance of his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos, maintained his innocence Tuesday during his first sit-down interview about the case, claiming he’s “worried” about his wife and never wished her “ill in any way.” “I know what I’ve done, I know what I haven’t done,” the 51-year-old Greek immigrant told New York City’s WNBC-TV. “I have to stand and fight and hope that the truth is going to come out.” Jennifer Dulos, 50, hasn’t been seen since dropping her children off at school in New Canaan, Conn., on May 24.

Remembering Lee IacoccaLee Iacocca, the father of the Ford Mustang and former chairman of Chrysler, has died of natural causes at his home in Bel Air, Calif., his family said Tuesday. He was 94. Iacocca, born in Allentown, Pa., on Oct. 15, 1924 as the child of Italian immigrants, started working at Ford Motor Co. in 1946 and is heralded as the leader of the team that created the first Mustang in 1964. He ascended to CEO of the company in 1970 but was fired by Henry Ford Jr. in 1978. He moved on to Chrysler Corp. in 1978 and became the CEO a year later, pulling the company out of bankruptcy after taking it over. Iacocca successfully persuaded the federal government to provide the company a $1.2 billion loan in 1979 and made major cuts to the workforce, slashing wages — including his own, which he shrunk to $1 a year — and closing plants. He also introduced fuel-efficient cars and the minivan. His effortswere successful and Chrysler made a comeback, profiting $20 million. The turnaround made Iacocca a media star. Later, he was a key figure in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and creation of the Ellis Island museum.

To be honest, many great words have been spoken about our Independence Day. It would be a sin to not reuse such words. Today I will borrow these words of the past by great patriots, including one local man our previous Sherriff BJ Barnes.

Fourth of July speeches, as John Adams predicted in 1776, tent to be “with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.”

On the 4th of July President Donald Trump …See More will deliver such a presidential address during the “Salute to America” celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, I hope the world listens.

Just 2 days later a number of brave men and women will face the hate of domestic terror groups such as Antifa in order to Demand Free Speech, I will be one of those individuals.

We do this because we believe in the Liberty granted to us by brave men who came before us.

Liberty does not consist, my fellow-citizens, in mere general declarations of the rights of man. It consists in the translation of those declarations into definite action.

Have you ever read the Declaration of Independence or attended with close comprehension to the real character of it when you have heard it read?

If you have, you will know that it is not a Fourth of July oration. The Declaration of Independence was a document preliminary to war. Those were grim days, the days of 1776. Those gentlemen did not attach their names to the Declaration of Independence expecting a holiday on the next day, and that 4th of July was not itself a holiday. They attached their signatures to that significant document knowing that if they failed it was certain that every one of them would hang for the failure. They were committing treason against England in the interest of the liberty of 3,000,000 people in America.

All the rest of the world was against them and gave cynical smiles at their audacious undertaking. Do you think that if they could see this great Nation now they would regret anything that they then did to draw the gaze of a hostile world upon them?

The most patriotic man, ladies and gentlemen, is sometimes the man who goes in the direction that he thinks right even when he sees half the world against him. It is the dictate of patriotism to sacrifice yourself if you think that that is the path of honor and of duty.

First President to go into North Korea. Yet some say it means nothing.

First President to bring China back in line by making them pay tariffs and bringing billions back to America, but some say it is not enough, he is putting us in danger.

Having meaningful talks with both our friends and our enemies making it clear he is putting his country before theirs, as it should be.

The best economy in the world, yet some give him no credit.

Best job growth for everyone, black, brown and white, yet some call him a racist.

Some have tried to bring false witness against him and when proven wrong, refuse to believe it.

Every idea must be started by somebody, and it is a lonely thing to start anything. Yet if it is in you, you must start it if you have a man’s blood in you and if you love the country that you profess to be working for.

Do not blame others if they do not agree with you. Do not die with bitterness in your heart because you did not convince the rest of the world, but die happy because you believe that you tried to serve your country by not selling your soul.

The task to which we have constantly to readdress ourselves is the task of proving that we are worthy of the men who drew this great declaration and know what they would have done in our circumstances. Patriotism consists in some very practical things—practical in that they belong to the life of every day, that they wear no extraordinary distinction about them, that they are connected with commonplace duty. The way to be patriotic in America is not only to love America but to love the duty that lies nearest to our hand and know that in performing it we are serving our country.

I’m proud to be an American and proud of my flag and my country. Which one are you, some or other. The world is becoming more complicated every day, my fellow-citizens. No man ought to be foolish enough to think that he understands it all. And, therefore, I am glad that there are some simple things in the world.

Before the coming 4th celebration, stage your own revolution.

Call your local board of elections and if you are a Democrat, change to a Republican or independent.

How Many Times Do We Have To Warn Iran? Trump Says If He Is Forced To Do Something It’s Going To Be A Large Response.

After showing military restraint, Trump warns Iran in ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ interviewPresident Trump, after calling off a military strike on Iran following the downing of an American drone last month, delivered a stern warning to the regime during an interview with Fox News. Speaking exclusively with Tucker Carlson, Trump said he “built up a lot of …See More great capital” after his decision — but said that means “if something should happen, we’re in a positionto do far worse by not doing it.” He quickly added, “But, hopefully, we don’t have to do anything.” The president’s comments on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” were made before it was reported on Monday that Iran has exceeded the threshold for the Islamic Republic’s low-enriched uranium stockpile agreed upon in the 2015 nuclear deal. But at a White House event on Monday, he said Iran was “playing with fire.”

During the “Tucker” interview, President Trump also shared his plans to combat rising homelessness and mental illness in America.

Cory Booker unveils plan to ‘virtually eliminate immigrant detention’Sen. Cory Booker, trying to jolt his 2020 presidential campaign, is unveiling a comprehensive plan to “virtually eliminate immigrant detention” and expand protections for illegal immigrants through executive order — bypassing Congress entirely — “on day one of his presidency.” The aggressive proposal comes as polls consistently have shown Booker trailing many fellow Democrats in the White House race, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Although several of his rivals already have announced similar proposals and even endorsed decriminalizing border crossing entirely, Booker’s plan was unique in focusing on the immigrant detention facilities that have attracted national attention in recent weeks.

Booker’s plan comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing a lingering political backlash from liberal House Democrats over his role in the passage of a bipartisan border bill last week, which saw House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forced to back down from a push to include restrictions on immigration enforcement. It also comes amidoutrage over claims made by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., that women at a southern border facility are being forced to drink “out of toilets.” U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials have strongly denied AOC’s allegations.

Report: Nike dropped Betsy Ross-themed Fourth of July sneaker after Colin Kaepernick complainedJust don’t do it. That was the message ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick delivered to Nikeover the planned release of a USA-themed sneaker, which featured a Betsy Ross flag on the heel, according to a report. Nike nixed the released of the Air Max 1 USA after having already sent the sneakers to retailers because the protesting quarterback said he felt the use of the Betsy Ross flag was offensive and carried slavery connotations, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Accused Navy SEAL’s fate in jury’s handsJurors will begin their first full day of deliberations in the court-martial of a decorated Navy SEAL accused of murdering a wounded ISIS war prisoner in Iraq. Jury deliberations started Monday following closing argumentswhere military prosecutors said Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher’s words and actions proved he murdered a member of the Islamic State terror network in May 2017. The defense argued the prosecution’s case had “huge gaping holes” and that Gallagher was a subject of “fixation” by military prosecutors. “They started with a conclusion … [and] … ignored everything that didn’t fit,” Timothy Parlatore told the jury of five Marines and two sailors during his closing argument.

Charlie Kirk launches GOTV campaign to enlist 1 million ‘Students for Trump’ in 2020Conservative activist Charlie Kirk is launching a massive get-out-the-vote campaign Tuesday aimed at identifying and enlisting 1 million student supporters of President Trump ahead of the 2020 election. The “Students for Trump” campaign will look to target students on more than 300 campuses, in what Kirk describes as the biggest operation of its kind. “This is the most aggressivevoter identification GOTV program targeting students on college campuses for a Republican president ever,” Kirk told Fox News.

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With Peace In North Korea And China Trade Deals, Don’t You Think It’s Time Trump Got A Nobel Peace Prize?

Fox News Exclusive: Trump tells Tucker Carlson he’s optimistic about trade deal with China, slams Big Tech biasPresident Trump expressed optimism about a possible trade deal between his administration and Chinese President Xi Jinping,during an interview with Tucker Carlson set to air Monday night on Fox News. Trump had met with Xi during the G20 summit in Osaka and …See More described the meeting as “excellent” before saying the two countries were “back on track.” “We had a very good meeting,” thepresident said. “He wants to make a deal. I want to make a deal. Very big deal, probably, I guess you’d say the largest deal ever made of any kind, not only trade.”

Trump sat down with Carlson during the president’s trip, which included stops in Osaka, Japan, for the G20 summit, and a first-of-its kind visit by a U.S. president to North Korea, meeting with dictator Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which Carlson witnessed. During the interview, the president also ripped alleged biases from Big Tech, which includes Facebook, Google and Twitter, saying, ” They were totally against me. I won … They fought me very hard. I mean, I heard that and they’re fighting me hard right now.”

Trump and Kim agree to revive talks on nuke problem in historic visit, but what’s next?President Trump made history this weekend by becoming first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea when he took 20 steps into the Hermit Kingdom. The event in the Demilitarized Zone also included a roughly 50-minute meeting behind closed doors, the first face-to-face sit-down between the two since their failed summit in Hanoi in February. The two leaders have agreed to revive talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, with Trump saying “speed is not the object” and “we’re looking to get it right.”

The president’s critics, especially Democrats looking to run against him in 2020, are skeptical and have called the latest meeting between Trump and Kim another elaborate photo-op and accused the president of “coddling” dictators. Other critics have wondered whether Trump will ever reach an actual deal with Kim, noting that nothing of substance was achieved in their previous two meetings. Still, Harry J. Kazianis, director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest,wonders whether Trump’s unconventional diplomatic approach to North Korea is worthy of a Nobel Prize. Stay tuned.

Kudlow: No ‘amnesty’ for HuaweiWhite House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday tamped down expectations of a quick resolution of the U.S.-China trade dispute, adding that President Trump’s decision to let Chinese telecom giant Huawei buy some additional U.S. products is “not a general amnesty.” Trump announced Saturday that U.S. suppliers will be allowed to sell components to Chinese telecom giant Huawei following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Kudlow said Trump’s move does not mean the administration no longer regards Huawei as a surveillance agency of the Chinese Communist Party. Still, U.S. stock futures jumped ahead of Monday’s open as investors reacted to the progress between the U.S. and China at the G20 Summit.

Fox News Exclusive: Friends of Utah student say suspected killer was ‘hunting for women’In a Fox News exclusive interview, friends of the University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck said Sunday they believe the suspect arrested in her disappearance and murder was “hunting for women.” Lueck, 23, disappeared after police said she met with the suspectidentified as 31-year-old Ayoola Ajayi, who was arrested and charged with aggravated murder Friday. The student met with Ajayi around 3 a.m. on June 17 near a park in Salt Lake City after she had been dropped off by a Lyft driver, according to police. “There’s a lot of people that say she deserved this because she put herself in this situation and we don’t officially know that,” Kennedy Stoner, a sorority sister and friend of Lueck’s, told Fox News in an exclusive interview on Sunday. Follow the latest developments on this story on FoxNews.com.

Many 2020 Dems on the chopping blockThe Democratic Party’s crowded field of 2020 presidential candidates could quickly shrink as more than half of the contenders are in real danger of failing to meet tougher requirements to participate in the fall round of debates. Short on support and money and bound by tough party rules, once soaring politicians may soon be seen as also-rans. They include: Julian Castro, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama who is trying to capitalize on his strong debate performance last week; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, one of her party’s most outspoken feminists; and Sen. Cory Booker, who first rose to stardom as the energetic mayor of Newark, N.J. Of the 20 candidates who qualified for the first round of debates in June and July, just six right now are sure to appear in the September-October round, when the Democratic National Committee requires participants to hit 2 percent in multiple polls and 130,000 individual donors. – Associated Press

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2020 Dems take shots at Trump And They Are All Blank! Ready For A Reload?

2020 Dems take shots at Trump, clash over policy proposals during Round 1

The first primary debate of the 2020 presidential election season saw cracks of daylight emerge in a Democratic field that has largely played to the progressive base,with the candidates clashing sharply over controversial policies like “Medicare-for-all” and calls to decriminalize illegal border crossings — while taking ample shots at …See More President Trump in the process. Staking out the left flank of the party Wednesday night in Miami were Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. — the highest-polling candidate in the first debate batch — and long-shot Bill de Blasio, the New York City mayor. They were the only candidates to raise their hands when asked who’s willing to give up their private health insurance for a government option. Warren went on to staunchly defend 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare-for-all” plan.

Beto O’Rourke, the one-time media darling in the crowded Democratic field who has watched his poll numbers wilt in recent months, looked to regain much of his lost momentum on Wednesday night. While he was among a handful of candidates who gave some responses in Spanish, he repeatedly found himself on the receiving end of swipes from rivals, especially former Housing Secretary Julian Castro.

Among the candidates looking for breakout moments, Castro may have come the closest with his controversial call for the decriminalization of illegal border crossings, challenging his fellow presidential hopefuls to agree to repeal the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that applies. He called out O’Rourke by name for not supporting his proposal, saying, “I think you should do your homework on this issue. If you did your homework on this issue you would know that we should repeal this section.” Discussing the heartbreaking photo that emerged this week of a migrant father and toddler daughter who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande, Castro said it “should piss us all off.”

President Trump, who was on his way to Osaka, Japan, for the G-20 Summit, watched at least the first half-hour of Wednesday’s debate, tweeting a one-word verdict of the event: “BORING!” He later swiped at NBC News and MSNBC for technical difficulties that marred part of the telecast.

Despite their differences on major issues, the candidates – especially Warren — rallied to downplay economic successes and growth under the Trump administration. “It’s doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top,” Warren said of the economy.The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee rapid response team, though, sent email blasts and tweets “fact-checking” and defending the president’s economic record and the creation of “6 million jobs” since Election Day 2016.

Biden, Sanders to share the stage, more fireworks expected in Round 2

The second round of the first Democratic primary debate will take place in Miami on Thursday and will feature the current frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on the same stage. The debate will also include these eight candidates: U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg;U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Kamala Harris of California; Colo. Gov. John Hickenlooper; U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California; author Marianne Williamson; and businessman Andrew Yang

Ahead of G-20 Summit, Trump vows more tariffs on China if no deal is reachedBefore leaving for the G-20 Summit, President Trump, in an exclusive interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday, vowed to impose additional tariffs on China if a trade deal is not reached. “When tariffs go on in China, we are taking in billions and billions of dollars,” Trump said. “We never took in 10 cents — now you have another $325 billion that I haven’t taxed yet. It’s ripe for taxing — for putting tariffs on.” Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday to discuss trade between the world’s two largest economies. The result could have broad implications for the markets and the global economy.

Although it’s “possible” to reach a good deal, Trump said his “plan B” may include a 10 percent tariff on the remaining “$600 billion” worth of Chinese goods. Besides Xi, Trump’s agenda in Osaka includes sit-downs with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Recep Teyyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Germany’s Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A Canadian woman who stayed at a Bahia Principe resort in the Dominican Republic in 2016alleges that she fell critically ill after being exposed to a strong chemical odor in her room, and that she has battled multiple health problems ever since. Tina Hammell told CNN that the smell in her room at the Grand Bahia Principe Punta Cana resort woke her and her husband from a nap. Hammell is one of several people who have come forward to tell reporters about having fallen ill — sometimes requiring hospitalization — while at a resort in the Dominican Republic. After she and her husband returnedhome to Ontario, doctors told her that she may have been poisoned by something in the Dominican Republic.

Possible new clue is search for missing Utah college student

Salt Lake City police reportedly served a search warrant Wednesday at a home connected to the disappearance of a missing Utah college student, reports said. Mackenzie Lueck, 23, was last seen June 17 near a Salt Lake City park after she was dropped off by a Lyft driver. The University of Utah student was returning from her grandmother’s funeral in California. Assistant Chief Tim Doubt said there is a “nexus” between the home and Lueck’s disappearance, but he did not say if anyone has been arrested, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The Lyft driver, who was cleared as a suspect, told police he dropped off Lueck around 3 a.m. at Hatch Park, where another car was waiting for her.

Mueller has agreed to testify before the House judiciary and intelligence committee, do really think he had anything important to say?

Mueller agrees to testify under subpoena before House lawmakers It looks like critics who thought they had heard the last from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the ongoing President Trump-Russia collusion saga have been proven wrong. Mueller has agreed to testify before the House judiciary and intelligence committees on July 17 after they subpoenaed …See More Mueller on Tuesday, according to the committees’ chairmen, Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. House Democrats have fought toget access to Mueller and his unredacted report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether President Trump obstructed justice. Weeks of negotiations between the Democrats and the Justice Department ultimately resulted in the subpoena.

Fox News has learned Mueller would agree to appear only under a subpoena – and that the subpoena was “friendly.” Perhaps a bigger question is, What do Democrats hope to achieve with Mueller’s testimony? The news of his scheduled appearance has already overshadowed this week’s scheduled Democratic primary debates and could be addressed by all 20 presidential candidates over the two-night event in Miami. Some GOP lawmakers, such asU.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a Judiciary Committee member, warn that Democrats could be planting the seeds of “impeachment by surprise.” But Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., says Mueller better be prepared for a “GOP cross-examination” when he testifies.

Dershowitz: Dems ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ with Mueller subpoenaDemocrats will regret issuing a subpoena to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to famed legal scholar Alan Dershowitz. Democrats, Dershowitz argues, appear to have overlooked that Republican lawmakers also will have an opportunity to question Mueller and highlight weaknesses and potential biases in his investigation and report. And Mueller cannot refuse to answer questions from Republicans not covered by “privilege,” Dershowitz said on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.” “I’m trying to stop them from shooting themselves in the foot,” he said. In separate column for FoxNews.com, Dershowitz, writes the following: “Mueller should refuse to say anything about the investigation of Trump and his campaign beyond what is already in his report.”

Democratic primary debate, Night 1The road to the 2020 presidential election will heat up, starting with the first Democratic primary debate, which will take place over two consecutive nights, starting Wednesday. Because so many qualified for the first round of debate, the candidates were split up randomly into two groups. The two-hour debates will kick off at 9 p.m. E.T. in Miami, Fla. on Wednesday and Thursday. A total of 20 candidates — 10 each night — will debate. Wednesday’s participants will include: Julian castro, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development; John Delaney a former congressman from Maryland; U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman from Texas; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio; and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Showdown over border aid bill brews in Congress; Customs and Border Protection chief steps downThe House approved a $4.5 billion supplemental spending bill on Tuesday night to address humanitarian issues at the U.S.-Mexico border and to provide additional funding for food, water, medical services and stronger protections for unaccompanied children, among other things — setting up a showdown between the Democrat-led House and the Republican-led Senate. The House bill, which passed 230-195, included specifics that would prevent the Trump administration from allowing any funding to go toward supporting Immigrationand Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel at the border, likely to become a point of contention with Republicans. President Trump warned Monday that he would veto the House bill if it passed. Earlier Wednesday, Acting Commissioner John Sanders of U.S. Customs and Border Protection resigned amid ongoing controversy over conditions at migrant detention facilities along the U.S-Mexico border.

Navy SEAL’s defense expected to begin at court-martialThe prosecution in the court-martial of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher rested its case Tuesday, ending six days of testimony in which SEALs accused one of their own of stabbing to death an ISIS prisoner in Iraq in 2017. Special Operations Chief Gallagher is charged with premeditated murder. In a trial that has frayed the reputation of the SEAL community, the Navy’s lead investigator took the witness stand Tuesday for cross-examination and was accused of vindictiveness, incompetence and a rush to judgment. Gallagher’sdefense is expected to begin its case Wednesday morning and show jurors videotaped testimony from an Iraqi general who handed over the ISIS fighter to Gallagher for medical treatment..

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IRAN Says The Channel For Diplomacy Is Closed ‘Forever’ Should We Or Trump Worry?

Iran blasts new US sanctions, says channel for diplomacy is closed ‘forever’A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a tweet Tuesday that the new U.S. sanctions that target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials close any channel for diplomacybetween the two countries “forever.” President Trump signed an executive order Monday issuing …See More “hard-hitting” financial sanctions against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his associates. The U.S. and Iran have seen tensions increase exponentially in the past few weeks after an initial U.S. sanctions squeeze that Washington said led to the attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The situation became increasingly dire last week after Tehran admitted to downing a $100 million U.S. Navy drone. Trump said the sanctions “will deny the supreme leader and the supreme leader’s office and those closely affiliated with him and the office access to key financial resources and support.”

Trump wonders if Biden has a ‘big secret’Ahead of the first Democratic primary presidential debates on Wednesday and Thursday, President Trump has renewed his attacks on Joe Biden, this time questioning why former President Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed his former vice president. In a new interview with the Hill, Trump wondered if there was a “big secret” as to why Obama has not backed Biden. “How he doesn’t get President Obama to endorse him, there has to be some reason why he’s not endorsing him,” Trump told The Hill. “He was the vice president. They seemed to have gotten along. President Obama not endorsing him is rather… a big secret.”

Report: White House moves to prevent Conway from testifying about alleged Hatch Act violationsThe White House has reportedly moved to prevent counselor Kellyanne Counselor from testifying before Congress about allegations of violations of the Hatch Act, the Washington Post reported Monday. The House Oversight Committee, anticipating a lack of cooperation from Conway and the White House, plans to vote Wednesday on a subpoena to force her testimony. In an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Monday, Conway pushed back against a finding that she violated the Hatch Act and dismissed a recommendation that she be fired as an attempt to “silence” her and prevent her from working toward President Trump’s re-election.

Newly-released video footage show Jussie Smollett with rope around his neckChicago police released hundreds of files and nearly 70 hours of video footage on Monday from the investigation into Jussie Smollett’s claim back in January that he was attacked by two men — an allegation that police later characterized as a hoax. In one ofthe videos, police body-cam footage showed Smollett — with his face blurred — wearing a white rope that he told detectives his attackers looped around his neck. When one of the officers asked Smollett if he wanted to take the rope off of his neck, the 37-year-old actor did while stating: “Yeah. I do. I just wanted you all to see it.” The release of the footage, marked the latest chapter in a story that began with Smollett’s allegations that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. He eventually was arrested on charges that he lied to police, but prosecutors later dismissed the charges.

Missing mother’s family denies her case is a ‘Gone Girl’ disappearanceFamily and friends of missing Connecticut mother of five Jennifer Dulos on Monday countered a claim from her estranged husband’s lawyer that the author was “deeply troubled,” and rejected any suggestions that she was faking her disappearancein a plot similar in the 2015 cinematic thriller “Gone Girl.” In a Fox News interview on Friday, lawyer Norm Pattis said his client, Fotis Dulos, was “emotional, tired, distraught” over the “exhausting ordeal” and disappearance of his estranged wife. He said Jennifer Dulos “had a troubled past,” describing her as a writer who “wrote a manuscript similar to ‘Gone Girl,'” a thriller that later became a hit Hollywood movie. In response, Carrie Luft, a spokeswoman for family and friends of the missing mother, said: “This is not fiction or a movie. This is real life, as experienced every single day by Jennifer’s five young children, her family, and her friends.”

DC RallyJuly 6, 2019 – 12pm Freedom PlazaWashington, DCOn July 6th, 2019, we will have a rally at Freedom Plaza, Washington, DC. Confirmed speakers include well-known public figures who have been silenced by Big Tech. Click here to see a list of the speakers. There will be a VIP Event afterwards.

DC #DemandFreeSpeech Rally

Calls To ActionPlease sign this petition: demandfreespeech.org/petition – if you want free speech for all.

Attend and promote the #DemandFreeSpeech Freedom Rally July …See More 6.RSVP on Facebook – share with friendsFreedom Q & A *VIP* Lounge Event

Support and pioneer new entrepreneurial efforts to have hosting companies and social media companies and payment processors that support free speech.Telegram.orgGab.comMinds.comBitChute.comParler.comFlock Inc. AppSayScape.comFree1A.comMeWe.comVoat.coCodias.comInfinitySNEtc..

Support these lawsuits against these #BigTech #SocialistMedia “#PrivateCompanies”FreeLoomer.comDefendGavin.comPragerCrowderEtc..

Our rights guaranteed under the United States Constitution are being systematically violated. Join the rally to demand unbiased social media, and an end to censorship. Confirmed speakers include well-known public figures who have been silenced by Big Tech.

A Theory On Just Why IRAN Decided To Foolishly Attack Us… What Do You Think?

Director of Defense Intelligence Agency gives theory behind Iran’s recent attacksIran’s recent attacks on tankers and the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone appear to be part of an effort to change “the status quo,” the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) told Fox News exclusively. “I’d say that they’re probably at an inflection point right now,” the director, …See More Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr., explained in his first national TV interview as the leader of the nearly 17-thousand strong agency. Director Ashley said, based on their activity over the last several years, the Iranians would probably say they were in a “favorable” position with their influence over the Iraqi government and the likelihood their longtime regional ally — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — will remain in power. But, Director Ashley said the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran deal and subsequent sanctions made a major impact on the regime.

His comments come as President Trump has promised to impose new sanctions against Iran on Monday on top of what has already been a crippling campaign for the Islamic nation’s economy. In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he said he does not wish to go to war with Iran but warned an armed conflict would bring “obliteration like you’ve never seen before.” An Iranian military official warned Monday that Tehran is capable of shooting down more American spy drones. Tune in to “Special Report” on Fox News today at 6 p.m. ET to see Catherine Herridge’s exclusive interview with DIA Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr.

2020 Dems jockey for position before first debateDays before the first Democratic primary presidential debate on Wednesday, it appears the various potential challengers to President Trump in 2020 are battling to set the tone and stand. Some critics may argue that some of the 2020 Dems are trying to out-radicalize each other. Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to announce on Monday a policy proposal that would eliminate all $1.6 trillion of American student debt, according to a report.

Some 2020 candidates may seek to regain some of the momentum they lost to upstart Pete Buttigieg. The South Bend, Ind. mayor faced criticism at a town hall on Sunday from residents angered over a white police officer’s fatal shooting of a black man on June 16. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic frontrunner plans to introduce his immigration policy as the debate over the border wall and how to deal with illegal immigration rages on in Washington.

Lawmakers doubtful about reaching solutions to asylum loophole problemsPresident Trump over the weekend delayed a planned mass roundup of illegal immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for two weeks, in the hope that a bipartisan solution to the “asylum and loophole problems at the southern border” can be reached. However, lawmakers have their doubts. Democrats reportedly would rather focus on a comprehensive immigration overhaul or measures to fund the asylum process at the border. Republicans, would rather focus on legislation limiting asylum options and on building Trump’s proposed border wall.

Utah student last seen getting a Lyft ride remains missingA University of Utah student who disappeared after ordering a Lyft in Utah was still missing Sunday — nearly a week after she was last seen. Mackenzie Lueck, 23, was flying to Salt Lake City from Los Angeles after attending a funeral last weekend. The Salt Lake City Police Department said Lueck arrived at the airport on June 17 and ordered a Lyft ride-share to an address in North Salt Lake. Investigators said she was last seen “in the early morning hours of Monday.”

Aerialist Lijana Wallenda walks on a high wire above Times Square, Sunday, June 23, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason Szenes)

Flying Wallendas stop traffic at New York City’s Times SquareThe Flying Wallendas conquered the Big Apple on Sunday night. Nik Wallenda, a seventh-generation acrobat, and his sister, Lijana Wallenda, coming back after a near-fatal accident in 2017, when she broke nearly every bone in her face, crossed Times Square in New York City on a high wire between skyscrapers, 25 stories above the pavement. “Thank you, Jesus, glory to you, Holy God,” Lijana said on air as she crossed on the wire. The siblings walked from opposite ends of the 1,300-foot wire suspended between the towers, crossing each other in the middle as she sat on the wire. They were listening to Christian Gospel music as they crossed, and they were wearing tethered safety harnesses mandated by the city in case they fell.

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